Change of Plans
by Kitai Shinsei
Summary: A drunken night, a mistake, the consequences that follow. Ill-thought actions can change lives forever. This is a story about challenges, about love, about finding each other, about finding oneself. Yaoi Shikamaru x Naruto , mpreg.
1. Drunken Mistakes

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and the various other parties that own the rights to it. I am, sadly, not one of those parties. This fanfic is written for entertainment purposes only, and the author does not intend to make any money from this.

Author's Notes: No, I haven't written much more of my other fics. This bunny bit me hard last night, and I'm writing it. It's the first time in a long time I've been able to write, and I can even see where this is going. I'm broody as hell, but my current financial status means it's impossible to have a child right now, so fanfiction is, at the moment, my only outlet for my frustration. That said, I hope you will enjoy this. I like to think my writing has greatly improved since my last foray into mpreg about five years ago.

Warnings: Yaoi (that is, boys loving boys), mpreg (that is, male pregnancy), unusual pairing (that is, Shikamaru/Naruto).

Chapter 1

No one meant for lives to be changed that night. A simple gathering of friends, weakened, tired after a long and unsuccessful mission. Even those who hadn't taken part had been feeling it. Someone had managed to procure several bottles of sake, and the under-aged shinobi sat among the rooftops of Konoha, getting steadily drunker, and daring each other to do steadily more stupid things. Not dangerous. Just stupid. Just friends having fun.

"Hey Chouji! Pretend you're a movie diva!"

"Ino, show us your tits!"

Much appreciative wolf whistling.

"Kiba, you and Akamaru should tap-dance over the roofs!"

"Hinata, show us your tits!"

A thud, followed by, "Hey, guys… she's not moving… is it possible for someone to die of embarrassment?"

"Shino! Make your bugs form moustaches on the statue of the Fifth!"

"Hey, Sakura! Show us your tits!"

A loud SMACK, followed by the nursing of a bleeding nose. "Okay, fine, be that way!"

Everyone felt relaxed, happy, liking the feeling of their minds befuddled by too much alcohol. For once they didn't have to be serious, for once they could forget that they were dangerous, deadly ninjas.

Then, "Hey Naruto! I dare you to kiss Shikamaru!"

"EH?! No way!! I don't swing that way!!" Naruto's ears had gone red under his spiky blonde hair

Shikamaru looked just as disturbed. "Yeah… sorry Naruto, but you're definitely not my type."

Loud protests. "Oh come on! We've all done our dares!" Kiba said angrily. "Well… except for Sakura 'cause she's scary when she's mad…"

"We could alter the dare," Ino said. "Naruto, why don't you use your sexy technique! Then it'd be easier for both of you."

If it had not been for the sake, neither of them would have agreed. But as it was, they were sloshed out of their skulls, and suddenly Ino's idea made sense. Somewhat grudgingly they both agreed, and once Naruto had become a buxom blonde woman hot enough to put all three girls to shame, Shikamaru sidled over to him.

Trying not to be aware of the fact that their friends were all staring avidly, they leaned in, and pecked each other on the lips, pulling away as though both had been stung. "There! You happy?" Naruto demanded of his friends.

"What, no way! That wasn't a kiss!" Ino scolded. "Give us our money's worth!"

"It's not like we're being paid for this…" Naruto muttered. Throwing caution to the wind, wanting to get this over with, he grabbed Shikamaru by the front of his vest and pulled him towards him, capturing his mouth in an ardent, heated kiss.

There was a stunned sort of silence from their friends by the time the two pulled apart, both blushing deep red. Shikamaru tried not to look gobsmacked, and Naruto refused to meet his eyes, or anyone else's. He reverted back to his own form, face burning.

Shortly after that, when all the sake was gone, and everyone was beginning to feel like passing out (and preferably in their own beds), they went their separate ways. First Chouji and Ino, then Kiba, and Shino, and Hinata. Sakura bid them goodnight and ambled drowsily off towards her home. Only Shikamaru and Naruto were left, still awkward, wanting to say something, but unsure what.

The silence stretched on, until Naruto gave a sheepish grin. "Well, I'm going to head home, I'm beat!" He turned to walk away. He felt a hand close on his wrist. "Naruto, wait…"

They were both drunk. After Shikamaru admitted that he had liked the kiss, Naruto had resumed his sexy jutsu and they stood on the rooftops exploring each other's mouths with their tongues. And then they were in Naruto's home, in Naruto's bed, indulging and sharing pleasures that made them feel at once guilty and elated…

When Naruto awoke late the next morning, he was still in his jutsu, and Shikamaru had gone. He changed back to his ordinary self, and went about his business like normal. Neither spoke to each other of that night again.

--

Though Naruto would be the last to admit it, this last mission had been pleasant. It had nothing to do with Sasuke, nothing to do with the Akatsuki. Just a simple escort mission, like they had done when they were all Genins. Of course, the mission had not been without its risks. But since it had involved an emissary from another country to the Sand Village, they had been able to see Gaara. Naruto took great pleasure in seeing his old friend who, since the loss of his Bijuu, had become a far more relaxed and caring person, doing wonders for Sand as a whole.

No, Naruto hadn't minded the sedateness of the mission – in fact, he had welcomed it. He'd been feeling tired in the last few weeks. A lethargy he couldn't shake no matter how hard he tried. He constantly felt like he wanted to be sick, even when he hadn't eaten anything. When once he would have been at the head of the pack, gung-ho, eager to get back to the village and onto the next mission or training exercise. Now though, he felt like he could barely keep up with his team-mates. Kakashi and Sai took it in their stride, though they were puzzled. Sakura, however, was worried.

The night before they were to arrive in Konoha, Sakura took Naruto aside. "Naruto… are you alright?"

Naruto grinned tiredly at her. "Of course I am, Sakura-chan! Healthy as a horse! Strong as an ox!" He did his best to hide his hands, which were trembling slightly, knowing that she could see the paleness in his skin and the dark shadows under his eyes. He knew he had lost weight as well, and that she could see it.

Sakura shook her head. "I don't think you are, Naruto." Her brow furrowed in irritation. "If you're feeling sick, you should come to me! You shouldn't hide it!"

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head with a stubborn expression. "I don't want anyone to think I'm being weak," he almost pouted. "I heal just fine by myself. I'll get over whatever this is."

Sakura eyed him. "Naruto, if you were going to get over this by yourself, you would have by now. Now lie down and let me examine you before you prove yourself to be a liability to this team."

It was as though she had slapped him, but he grudgingly admitted in the back of his mind that she was right. As weak as he currently felt, if anything were to happen to them between now and reaching Konoha, he doubted he'd be able to lift much more than a finger. He lay down in the soft grass near their camp and Sakura hovered over him, frowning in concentration, her hands glowing green with healing Chakra. She began at his head and moved down his body. He felt a pleasant tingling sensation, and even felt the nausea that had plagued him for nearly two weeks abated. Sakura's hands passed his chest and hovered over his abdomen. There she paused. She'd sensed something there. Her eyes closed as she deepened her gentle sensing, and then flew open again as she jerked her hands away as though burned.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, alarmed. "What's wrong?" _Am I dying or something?_ He thought silently to himself.

Sakura stared at him, then forced a grin. "N-nothing's wrong, Naruto! I… I just… um, I'll need to confirm something with Tsunade-sama tomorrow. There's… there's nothing to worry about!"

Naruto felt that even if she tried her hardest, she couldn't sound any less convincing.

Team Kakashi stood in the office of the Hokage, having just delivered the report on the mission. The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was pleased with their actions, and she dismissed them all to their own devices. Kakashi and Sai left, but Sakura and Naruto remained behind.

Tsunade sat behind her desk, chin resting on her hands, eying them. "Is there a problem?"

"No, Tsunade-sama. Well… not… that is… Naruto's been feeling sick lately."

The Fifth raised an eyebrow. "Surely you can deal with that on your own, Sakura? You're an accomplished medic-nin."

Sakura blushed. "Yes, Tsunade-sama. But… I feel I made a mistake with my diagnosis… and I was hoping you could grant a second opinion."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. She knew something had rattled the girl – her apprentice would not have come to her for help unless she truly felt stumped. She got to her feet. "Alright. Show me." She made Naruto lie down on the floor and knelt next to him.

"I noticed… something… around his lower abdomen." Sakura said quietly. "I believe it to be the main cause of his illness."

Tsunade told Naruto to unzip his jacket, and then placed her hand to his belly, looked thoughtful, before her eyes widened and she sat back, looking slightly stunned. Naruto sat up, looking worried. "What? What's wrong with me?"

"Naruto… I want you to answer me honestly." Tsunade began, her eyes penetrating sternly into his. "Within the last five weeks, have you had sex with someone?"

Naruto's face burned, and he tried not to think of the fact that Sakura was standing right there. He looked down, embarrassed, and nodded.

"Was it with a man, or a woman?" Tsunade pressed, and Naruto bit his lip, wishing the floor would swallow him. "A man." He said shortly, trying ignore Sakura's sharp intake of breath.

"I see." Tsunade said.

"What? You see what?" Naruto asked, almost desperately.

The Fifth looked at him, strangely pityingly. "Naruto… you're pregnant."

--

I'm trying for an actual serious teen-pregnancy-exacerbated-by-being-a-ninja-and-having-a-scary-group-of-psychopaths-on-one's-tails story here. Naruto is only about 17. This is obviously an AU setting. The mission they failed was another attempt to retrieve Sasuke. I don't think it's canon – I haven't read the manga. Please accept all errors as AU from now on (though I will try to limit those through research).

Hope you like. Please review – I can't improve if you don't! I need your input. Constructive criticism is welcomed – flames will be used to breed a virus that will turn everyone on the planet gay and make all men pregnant. This will result in overpopulation of extreme proportions and destroy the planet. Thus – if you flame me, you will be directly responsible for the destruction of earth.

Next chapter coming soon (no, really! It's already half-written!)


	2. Accepting

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. Sorry.

Author's notes: Yay, reviews coming in already! (And it's only been, what, an hour since I posted chapter 1? Whoo!)

To A-Light-Sleeper: Yeah, I'd never really thought of the ShikaNaru pairing until last night… I basically thought, "If Naruto got drunk and had sex in his female form… who would he be more likely to have sex with?" And I kinda stuck on Shikamaru. It had to be someone in the village (ruling Sasuke and Gaara out) and I wanted it to be someone in the Rookie Nine. Kiba was a close runner-up though. But I think the plot would be turning out quite differently.

To Sweet-single: Here's an update!! Hope it was soon enough!! Huggles

I'm hoping to keep updating this fic steadily. I work very long hours during the day, but I'll do my best – updates will likely come on weekends though.

Here's chapter 2 (And it's a nice long one – for me. XD)

Chapter 2

"P-pregnant?" Naruto stared at them, waiting for them to laugh, to point at him and say he'd been had, that they'd been pulling his tail (all nine of them). But neither did. They both looked at him rather solemnly.

"I'd like an explanation, Naruto." Tsunade said firmly.

Naruto swallowed. "I… I was drunk."

The Fifth frowned. "You're under-age."

"I know that." Naruto said. "But… we just wanted to have a good time… just… relax."

"We? Who else was with you?"

"I was, Tsunade-sama." Sakura said. "I remember that night. Most of the Rookie Nine were there. We all… we all just wanted to have fun together – to be irresponsible just for once."

Tsunade nodded, accepting Sakura's story. "Who's the father, Naruto?" She asked gently.

Naruto's face burned. "It was a dare at first… they wanted me to kiss him. I used my sexy jutsu so it'd be easier… later… we were _really_ drunk… I changed back to my female form, and we ended up together."

"Naruto… _who_ is it?" Tsunade pressed.

"… Shikamaru." Naruto whispered. "But I don't understand, Tsunade-baachan. How… how is this even possible… even if I was female at the time, I… I'm male now…"

Tsunade looked thoughtful. "It's possible that your female form was ovulating at the time." Naruto's face burned even brighter at the mention of the word 'ovulating'. "So when you slept with Shikamaru… but wait, how long were you in that form?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know… I woke up the next morning in it. About ten hours?"

Tsunade nodded. "Long enough… an egg must have been fertilised during that time. And then… when you reverted back, your body or your Chakra must have sensed that it needed to retain certain female parts – because you definitely have a womb, Naruto. And there is definitely a baby in it."

That was it. The word that made it all sink in. Baby. "I'm pregnant…" Naruto murmured, mostly to himself. "There's a baby in me… my… my baby…" He sat there a moment longer, and then slowly got to his feet. "I need to think…" He turned to the window and jumped out.

"Naruto, wait!" Sakura and Tsunade shouted at the same time, but he was gone.

--

Naruto positively fled from the Hokage's office. He jumped aimlessly over rooftops, through trees, running in straight lines and circles. Eventually, he stopped somewhere close to the border of the village, in a tree that had a good Naruto-sized nook in its vast limbs. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally drained, and he slumped down in this, for the moment, perfect resting place. The feeling of the rough bark against his back and head, the solidity under him, seemed to ground him somewhat, and his mind cleared a little.

Naruto looked down at himself. His jacket was still unbuttoned, and his fingers found the hem of his black t-shirt and lifted it, exposing the smooth flesh beneath. Unblemished. Unchanged. Slowly, almost hesitantly, his fingers crept over the skin, resting on his lower abdomen.

Pregnant.

Right now, under his hand, in his body, a new life had formed and was growing steadily. The very idea was very nearly incomprehensible. He was still waiting for Sakura and Tsunade to tell him they'd both been having a laugh at his expense. Though he knew that could not be the case, he knew they would not joke about something like this. Would they?

A baby. A real baby. Naruto's baby. The teenaged Shinobi's hand moved softly over his belly. Someone to love unconditionally, someone who loved back. Someone to care for, to teach.

A small smile of wonderment fell upon his lips. A child of his own. It would mean he would never be lonely again.

He felt a presence alight on the branch in front of him; he did not need to look up to know the Hokage had found him. She sat down in front of him. "Naruto, we need to talk."

Almost reluctantly, the young ninja removed his hand from his belly and looked up to meet Tsunade's gaze. "Am I really pregnant?" He asked softly.

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. You really are. I'm still not one hundred percent sure how, but there is definitely an embryo in there." As one, the both looked at Naruto's flat abdomen.

"Naruto, you need to make certain decisions now." Tsunade said seriously.

"Decisions? Like what?"

"First of all, do you want to keep the baby? If you want, you could terminate the pregnancy. Only Sakura and I know, and neither of us would think any less of you."

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Terminate? As in… as in kill the baby?"

Tsunade nodded.

"No way." Naruto said. "No. I couldn't… this…" he couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't give his reasoning. But he knew he'd climb to the very depths of hell before he willingly killed his own baby.

Tsunade looked understanding, and a small smile appeared on her lips – as though she had hoped, or knew, that would be his answer. Then she looked serious again. "But Naruto… you do understand that this will mean certain sacrifices. You won't be allowed on any dangerous missions. In fact, much of your time will be restricted to the village. This means no more tracking Akatsuki. Or Sasuke."

It was a blow he hadn't thought of. He had spent years focussed on retrieving Sasuke, and defeating the Akatsuki before they killed anyone else. To give that up, his driving force for nearly half a decade… to give it up for a being that had existed barely a month, who had come into existence as the result of a drunken whim… the decision was surprisingly easy.

"I'll find another way to get Sasuke back. And Akatsuki can wait. Tsunade-baachan… I want to keep this baby."

Again, she gave him a small smile. Understanding. Then she spoke again. "This is not something you have to do, but I think it will be better for all in the long run: You should tell Shikamaru. As soon as possible. I think he has a right to know."

Naruto nodded, a sense of foreboding settling in his stomach. He had no idea how Shikamaru would react to this. He had already feared their one-night-stand had irrevocably altered their friendship – Shikamaru had been seemingly avoiding him since it happened. He didn't want to contemplate how a baby conceived between the two of them would complicate things.

"And Naruto," Tsunade continued, "I want you to come see me tomorrow. I want to run some tests on you – some of them are routine for pregnant mothers. Others are to see how this whole thing will affect you… to my knowledge, pregnant men are rare."

"But not unheard of? I'm not the first?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "No, you're not. There was one in Konoha when I was a girl, but I don't remember what became of him or his child. I'll need to research it. But I want to monitor you closely for the safety of you and your baby. You understand?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes." He did. He also understood that she wanted to make sure he didn't do anything reckless.

The Fifth stood up and looked down at him. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Around mid-morning. And Naruto…" The boy looked up at her; he had been contemplating his belly again. "Tell Shikamaru. And make sure you eat something, and get some rest. "

--

Evening settled over Konoha. Naruto, feeling better for having indulged in some ramen, kept it down, and slept for a few hours, took to the village streets. He had a destination in mind, but wandered aimlessly for a while as though his subconscious was trying to keep him from breaking the news to Shikamaru that he was going to be a father.

Eventually though, he found himself on Shikamaru's street, his feet carrying him reluctantly to Shikamaru's door. And there he stood. He could not bring himself to knock. The seconds dragged into minutes, and he stood with his back against the wall, his mind running through all sorts of scenarios – ones where Shikamaru stormed off, ones where he stayed, and strange images of them in the future, the three of them, together and happy. These last thoughts were most puzzling to him – he was straight, so far as he knew, and so far as he knew, Shikamaru was as well. He had no desire to be with him outside of a drunken fling, did he? But still, the thoughts were nice, and he, somewhat guiltily, indulged them.

"Naruto?" The blonde boy nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. He turned sharply to find Shikamaru standing next to him, his features unreadable, as they frequently were.

"Sh-Shikamaru…" Naruto stammered, and everything he had thought to say, everything he had mentally rehearsed seemed to fly out of his head into the night.

"What's up? What're you doing here so late?" the Chuunin asked, hands in his pockets.

Naruto knew he looked panicked and nervous and he tried to control his features. "Um… could we walk? I need to talk to you." At a nod from the other, they set off down the street, though away from the village centre.

"I take it you want to talk about what happened a month ago." Shikamaru said eventually. Naruto startled again, but nodded.

"I'm sorry I ran off. I was… a bit freaked out by the whole thing," the brunette continued.

"It's okay… it was a strange situation," Naruto said. "But… there's something I have to tell you… it's something that happened because of that night."

The two of them stopped under a streetlight. They were alone, save for the chirping of the crickets.

"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto felt his face growing hot, and he scratched nervously at the back of his neck. "Well… you know how I was in my sexy jutsu right?" Shikamaru nodded. "Um… it turns out that I become completely and purely female when I do it… inside and out."

Shikamaru looked confused. Naruto continued on doggedly.

"Since… since the form is truly female, um… it can do things that female bodies can normally do." Naruto's heart was beating uncomfortably in his chest, making him feel as though he wanted to throw up from anxiety.

"Naruto… where are you going with this…?"

"Look, I don't understand it myself, but… Shikamaru, I'm…" the words stuck in his throat, he couldn't get them out. He looked at Shikamaru in anguish. Without thinking, his hand found his belly, almost as a talisman. The gesture did not go unnoticed by the other. Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"Naruto… you're not… you… you can't be _pregnant_, can you?"

The blonde looked away, and nodded. "I've been feeling off lately… tired, ill," he said quietly. "Sakura insisted on checking me over last night… she… realised… but had Tsunade-baachan give a second opinion."

Shikamaru winced. "So the Hokage knows…"

"She's not angry." Naruto said quickly. "Worried, I think. Shocked. Not angry."

Shikamaru released a breath he'd been holding. "That's a relief." Then, hesitantly, "Are… are you going to keep it?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "There's no other option I want to consider." He gave a small grin. "I've given my word to this baby that I'll protect it. I never go back on my word, that's my Way of the Ninja."

Shikamaru smiled at that. "You've always been that way, Naruto."

They stood quietly for a moment. Then Naruto said, "Um… Tsunade-baachan wants to run some tests on me tomorrow."

"Tests?" Shikamaru frowned.

"She says they're routine for… um…" he made a vague gesture at his abdomen. "She also wants to make sure everything's okay… considering I'm a guy and all."

"What time?"

"Huh?"

"What time are the tests?" Shikamaru repeated.

"Oh, um… around mid-morning."

"Do you want me to be there?"

Naruto looked at him blankly, then smiled softly. "Yeah, I'd like that."

The seconds ticked by. Then, "So, you really have… you really have a baby in there," Shikamaru said, pointing, "… my baby?"

Naruto nodded, an awkward smile on his face. "Yeah. Our baby."

--

Shikamaru strikes me as the responsible type. He'll do all he can to support his child, and Naruto. At this moment, he doesn't feel anything for Naruto besides friendship and a deep regard. But the fact that he's not _in love_ with Naruto won't make him shirk his duty.

Please review! Especially if you've any advice on how I can improve! I'll try to get the next chapter out ASAP.


	3. Understanding

Disclaimer: I haven't managed to obtain the rights to Naruto in the 24 hours since my last update

Disclaimer: I haven't managed to obtain the rights to Naruto in the 24 hours since my last update. No, Naruto is still not mine. Please don't sue me. I earn little enough as it is.

Author's Notes: Wow, over 200 hits and 11 reviews in one day! That's awesome! Hugs I love you guys! I love the positive response I'm getting, especially for the pairing. If I haven't individually replied to your reviews – I will soon!

Here's the next chapter!

Chapter 3

Though Naruto had fully intended to sleep a little later than normal the following morning, nausea had him up at the crack of dawn with his face in the toilet bowl. There was absolutely nothing left in his stomach, yet he was loathe to leave his spot on the bathroom floor just in case it managed to find something stashed in a corner of his gut somewhere.

Finally, nearly half an hour later, ashen-faced, he staggered out of the bathroom and got himself a glass of water from the kitchen sink. He drank it in tiny sips and sat on the edge of his bed, shirtless, looking down at his belly. It still looked exactly the same as always. Well-toned, smooth-skinned, the only mark his Kyuubi Seal. Still flat. He even wondered if the previous day had been but a dream. However, the continued lurching of his stomach put paid to that idea.

He lay down on his bed, curled around a pillow, and dozed fitfully for the next hour or so, before deciding to get up and shower. The hot water made him feel better, less exhausted, and he changed into some clean clothes afterwards – all of which a blessing in and of itself after a mission, particularly when pregnant, it would seem.

The word made him pause again. Pregnant. Was it really real? He looked down at himself again. He looked no different. And apart from the tiredness and nausea, he felt no different. He lifted his shirt again and observed his belly in profile in the mirror. Yep. It was definitely still flat. He eyed it suspiciously. Then he sighed, pulling his shirt down and grabbing his jacket. He left his apartment without looking back, the door swinging shut behind him.

--

Naruto entered the hospital with a feeling of trepidation. He had been there many times before of course, though usually when one of his friends, or he himself, was gravely ill or wounded. It felt strange, therefore, to be walking in when he felt there was little physically wrong with him. In addition, he realised he had no idea where to go – the only parts of the hospital he had any knowledge of were the wards. The signs posted about, supposedly to aid direction, were of no help, as he had little idea what any of the medical jargon meant.

"Naruto?" The blonde turned. Standing behind him was Shikamaru. They smiled at each other with a hint of their old casual camaraderie, but Naruto sensed something strange, almost awkward between them. He didn't miss Shikamaru's glance at his stomach, covered by his favourite orange and black jacket, and he blushed slightly.

"Where are you meeting Tsunade-sama?" Shikamaru asked, joining Naruto in looking up at the sign.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, looking put-out. "I dunno… none of this makes any sense to me…"

Shikamaru studied it, looked around, and then pointed in what seemed, to Naruto, to be a completely random direction. "We go that way, by the looks of things." He started walking off, but Naruto scrutinised the sign one more time without comprehension before following.

The long-haired Chuunin's interpretations turned out to be right however. Minutes later they were waiting in one of the examination rooms. It wasn't long before Tsunade arrived. She looked somewhat startled to see Shikamaru there, but she smiled at them both.

"I'm glad you told him, Naruto," she said. "It was the right thing to do."

Shikamaru didn't say anything, he still seemed awkward about the whole thing. Naruto wanted to offer him some quip, or a word of comfort, but found he had none – the whole thing was awkward for him too.

"Naruto, on the bed, please." Tsunade said, gesturing. Naruto did as he was told. The bed was similar to the ones he'd ended up having to spend time in on numerous occasions at the hospital. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't wonderful either. The Fifth turned to Shikamaru. "You can take a seat over there if you like." She nodded towards a functional-looking chair that was parked next to the bed. Without a word, Shikamaru sat down in it.

"Right, Naruto," The blonde Hokage said, "the first thing I want to do with you is an ultrasound. It doesn't hurt. But it is going to be cold."

Naruto looked nervous. "What does it do?"

Tsunade wheeled a machine over to the bed. It contained a monitor, with a paddle attached to it by a long cord, and a keyboard. "Basically, it takes pictures of your insides. You're going to see your baby with this."

Naruto's eyes widened, and he glanced at Shikamaru, who seemed more alert too, staring intently at the machine. "What do I have to do?" the blonde boy asked.

"Nothing, except take your jacket off and roll up your shirt. And pull the waistband of your pants down to your hips, I need access to your lower abdomen, where the baby is."

Blushing, Naruto did as he was told, and lay back on the bed. He was in a half-sitting position, so he was able to see the screen. Tsunade squirted a horribly cold gel that made the boy shudder onto his belly, just skirting the lower part of his Seal. She switched the machine on, and placed the paddle against his skin.

At once, a hazy black-and-white image popped up on the screen that changed as Tsunade moved the paddle back and forth along his abdomen. "I'm just looking for a good angle," she said, before pausing at a particular spot and adding with some satisfaction, "There."

Naruto wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at. There was a lot of graininess, and a hollow-looking black area, with a dot in the upper side of that. He didn't see anything that looked like a baby. Tsunade seemed to notice his confusion, for she smiled. "Over there," she said, pointing to the graininess, "That's your… well… your womb. That," she pointed at the black area, "That's what's known as the gestational sack. And that," she tapped the little dot "is your baby."

Naruto said the first thing that popped into his head. "It's… tiny!"

"Of course it is," Tsunade said. "It's barely the length of your fingernail. Your pinky fingernail!" She smiled, "In fact, we can barely even see it at this stage – that dot is mostly the yolk sac."

Naruto blinked. "Um… yolk?"

"It's the nourishment for the baby before the placenta forms." Tsunade said. Naruto still wasn't sure what that meant, but let it slide. "And what we should be able to see…" the Fifth adjusted the view slightly, and zoomed on the image, "Yes, it's only just visible… you see that tiny bit that pulses slightly?"

Naruto peered at it, brow furrowed. He could only just make it out. "Yeah… what is that?"

"It's –" Tsunade began.

"The heart," came Shikamaru's voice from next to the bed. Naruto had almost forgotten he was there. "That's… that's the baby's heart." Naruto looked over at him. He had a strange expression on his face, one of wonderment, almost-rapture. The blonde looked back at the monitor, and what he was seeing began to sink in.

"My baby…" He murmured. "That's really inside me…" Even telling himself didn't make it seem real. He felt like he was in some strange state of limbo. He looked at the tiny dot on the screen and memorised every hazy detail of it until Tsunade printed out a picture for him so she could switch off the screen and get him to wipe all the goo off himself.

While Naruto cleaned himself up and fixed his clothing, Shikamaru held onto the print-out. Eventually, Naruto heard his voice. "So it's really real. You… you really are pregnant…"

Naruto paused in putting on his jacket. "Yeah…" he said thoughtfully. "It… I can't really believe it yet… even having seen it." He looked over at the picture in Shikamaru's hands, and rested a hand on his abdomen. The brunette looked over at him, and slowly, hesitantly, reached out his own hand, placing it over Naruto's.

"I believe it…" he said softly. Naruto froze at the other's touch, the strangeness of the intimacy, at the same time welcoming it.

Tsunade came back in, and the two startled away from each other, both blushing slightly. The Fifth looked at them knowingly, and turned to Naruto. "Right then… I want to do some sensing on you." She said. "I want to see exactly how this is possible. I want to make sure you're healthy and at no risk as well."

Naruto felt sinews of anxiety beginning to thread through him. What if something was wrong? Even so, he lay back again and allowed the Hokage to place her hands over him. She closed her eyes, and her hands glowed with green Chakra as she sensed deep into his body. It was in actual fact a remarkably soothing experience. Much like Sakura's sensing had done for him before, he felt himself relax, and the nagging, lingering nausea seemed to vanish.

Several long minutes later, Tsunade stopped and removed her hands. Naruto looked at her questioningly, still worried. She smiled at him. "It's as I predicted. Your body has automatically retained the womb part of your female transformation. It is using your Chakra to sustain it. In some cases, I'd be worried about that, but you have remarkable Chakra reserves – you shouldn't have a problem for the remainder of your pregnancy… as long as you take it easy and don't overexert your Chakra. Don't attempt any massive jutsu… hell, I'd even avoid doing Kage Bunshin if I were you."

Naruto nodded. It made him feel slightly powerless, but he knew it was only for a few months. He could do this.

"I want you to come see me every week." Tsunade continued. "I'll want to make sure everything is running smoothly. As I said yesterday, male pregnancies are very rare, and also quite dangerous. Bear in mind that your body is not designed to carry a child, and as your pregnancy progresses, things might get extremely uncomfortable."

Naruto nodded. "I'll be fine, Tsunade-baachan," he said, forcing a grin. "I'll take care of myself!"

"I'll make sure he does," Shikamaru added from his chair. Naruto shot him a shocked, yet grateful, look.

Tsunade smiled. "Another thing, Naruto, you need to start gaining weight. I noticed you've actually lost weight since your last physical two months ago. You need to make sure you eat correctly." She paused, and looked thoughtful, "Have you been throwing up a lot?"

Naruto nodded, "Is that because of the baby?"

"Yes, it's quite a common complaint, actually," Tsunade said. "The best thing for it is to make sure you don't go hungry, and avoid greasy foods. If it's bad in the mornings, eat some dry crackers before you get out of bed. If it gets really bad, come see me."

"Alright." Naruto said. He was feeling slightly overwhelmed. The Fifth smiled at him, and ruffled his hair. "You'll be fine." She said.

Tsunade kept them for a while longer, mostly giving advice, and setting up appointments for the upcoming weeks. By the time they left, it was past noon. Shikamaru and Naruto walked together, in silence, for a while, before they had to part ways. "You'll be alright?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I want to see if I can eat something, then I want to sleep."

His companion looked as though he wanted to say something, but then he simply held out his hand. In it was the picture.

Naruto smiled. "You keep it," he said. "I'll get others. Besides… take it as thanks… for coming with me today."

Shikamaru slipped the picture back into his pocket. "You don't need to thank me… you'd do the same thing if the roles were reversed."

Naruto grinned. "Since when do you have a sexy jutsu?"

The other gave a wry smile, "You know what I mean."

They smiled brightly at each other, and in that moment regained much of the easy-going friendliness that had been so much a part of their relationship until that night a month before. Shikamaru gently reached out his hand and touched Naruto's abdomen. The blonde simply stood there. He didn't really want to admit to himself that he enjoyed the touch.

"I'll come see you tomorrow?" Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Naruto replied.

--

I've tried to research it better than I have my other fics… I hope I'm not making any more stupid physiological mistakes! Hope you enjoyed, please leave a review! Once again, any advice on how to improve is much appreciated!


	4. Reactions

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. Sorry.

Author's Notes: So many hits to this story already! Whoo! And thanks for 21 reviews so far (I hope I get more nudge, nudge, wink, wink). This chapter contains a bit of a time jump, moving the plot along slightly. Things will start picking up soon… you didn't think I'd let Naruto just languish in Konoha with nothing happening for nine months? Nope, things are going to get interesting. XD (See, now you HAVE to keep reading!). Just so you know, this story probably won't exceed 10 chapters, but (for once) I have a clear line of where I'm going with it, so I'll definitely keep going!

Here's the next chapter!

Chapter 4

Things settled into a routine. Every week, Naruto would visit Tsunade. She would poke him and prod him, obsess about his weight-gain (or lack-thereof), and finally do an ultrasound, which Naruto began to see as the highlights of his week. Shikamaru accompanied him to as many of these visits as he could, except on occasions when he was out of Konoha on missions. On the days when Naruto didn't see Tsunade, he went about life as normally as he could. His morning sickness was manageable, though annoying. He spent time with the rest of Team Kakashi, who remained the only ones besides Tsunade and Shikamaru who knew about the pregnancy.

Naruto still groused about the fact that he had not been able to tell Kakashi and Sai himself. Instead, Tsunade had called them in and briefed them on the situation. Naruto hadn't even been present, and had thus been spared their (he felt) rather humorous reactions. Sai, however, had been a godsend: he dug up so much information on pregnancy (male or otherwise) that Naruto's small apartment was filled nearly to bursting with books he knew he wouldn't have been able to find without Sai's help. Knowing more about the situation certainly helped Naruto's nerves.

It had been three months since that fateful night, and two since he'd found out about the certain consequences. Still, the whole idea about actually being pregnant was vaguely surreal to Naruto at times. Other than the nausea, he had noticed disappointingly few changes to his body. He frequently wondered to himself when he would wake up and find this had all been a very bizarre dream.

On a morning in his eleventh week of pregnancy, Shikamaru came to Naruto's apartment to walk with him to his check-up, as had become a custom of his. He knocked quietly and let himself in at the door, pausing when he did not immediately see the blonde. Loud retching from the bathroom gave him a clue, and he headed off in that direction to see the familiar sight of Naruto hunched over the toilet bowl. With a sympathetic grimace, he knelt next to the blonde and rubbed his back until the sickness seemed to abate. Then he helped him up and led him back to the main room.

Once returned the to refuge of his bed, Naruto cradled his head in his hands. "God… sometimes I hate this…"

Shikamaru, wisely, said nothing.

"I mean… I don't… I don't hate the baby… but… feeling sick all the time… jeez, Shikamaru, I've never been sick before, not like this… I always got better quickly… the books say I've still got a few more weeks of this. Weeks!"

Shikamaru sat down next to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I… I know it's troublesome right now… but… do you think it'll be worth it? In the long run?"

Naruto smiled slightly. "I know it will be. Just… it'd be nice if I had something right now to show for the last couple months… there's no change… I'm… I'm still not even showing…"

Shikamaru looked down at him, then smiled softly. "Guess again, look. I guess because you constantly look at it, you don't notice so much."

Naruto looked down at his belly and scrutinised it. His stubborn pout softened. True enough, there was an ever-so-slight rounding of his midsection. Hardly noticeable, but it was there. At last he had the physical confirmation that this wasn't all just some extremely elaborate joke. He placed his hand gently over the small bump. It didn't feel like flab – the skin was still firm, smooth. A look of wonderment came upon his face as he caressed it, seemingly lost in thought.

Almost hesitantly, another hand came to cover his own, touching the skin of his belly with a softness that made his stomach do a flip-flop. Naruto came out of his reverie and looked over at Shikamaru. The brunette had a dreamy concentrated look on his face. Suddenly, he looked at Naruto, their eyes catching each other. Something passed between them, though neither could later say what it was. Silence stretched, silence neither awkward nor companionable. The air seemed charged with things undone, or unsaid. Then Shikamaru cleared his throat and looked away, saying they should get going, Tsunade would be waiting. The moment was gone.

--

Another two weeks passed, and now that Naruto and Shikamaru were aware of it, the baby bump seemed to get a tiny bit bigger with each passing day. Naruto began finding it getting slightly harder to fit into his clothes. Though, it wasn't until Kiba poked him and laughingly joked that he looked like he was trying to steal Chouji's thunder that Shikamaru suggested that they start telling people.

"They're starting to notice, Naruto," Shikamaru said. "They've seen you're not training like you used to, and that you're… wider… they're going to start wondering what's going on with you. You might as well get it over with."

Naruto sighed. "I know… I'm just not really looking forward to it… it's going to be the most awkward conversation of my life – and I'm including the time Iruka insisted on teaching me the differences between boys and girls… fat lot of good that did me, now that I think about it," he added as an afterthought, poking his abdomen.

"Would you rather have the awkward conversation now, or when you're actually giving birth?"

"… you have a point," Naruto made a face and pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. "So when do you suggest we tell them?"

"As soon as possible. Before they come up with any wild theories. You know what Kiba's imagination can be like."

--

As the rest of the original Rookie Nine (minus Sasuke, of course) were part of that drunken night of daring, Naruto felt it would be better to invite them all for some barbeque and tell them together, then tell anyone else they knew separately as the situation called for it. Besides, it was all he and Shikamaru could jointly afford.

When they had all eaten as much as they could with Chouji there, and the mood was relaxed and friendly, Naruto cleared his throat. He felt a knot of tension in his stomach – he couldn't decide whether to run away, get it over with as quickly as possible, or throw up. He was starting to lean strongly towards the latter, and this time his baby had nothing to do with it.

Their friends had known something was up, of course – Naruto rarely treated anyone to a meal, let alone a large group like theirs. They looked up at the blonde expectantly, and his cheeks reddened at the attention.

"Um… I have something to tell you." Naruto said, looking at all of them. They looked expectant, save for Sakura who, knowing what he was going to say, gave him an encouraging smile. "You remember when we all got together that night a few months ago? With the sake, and the… um… well, you remembered when…"

"When Ino showed us her boobs and then made you kiss Shikamaru as a girl?" Kiba asked, scratching his head. "Yeah, it's hazy, but I remember it."

Naruto blushed brightly. "Yeah… that… well… we, that is, Shikamaru and I… I was a girl, and we were drunk…"

"And we slept together." Shikamaru finished. "And because Naruto was a girl at the time, he ended up pregnant."

Everyone stared. Naruto felt like he wished the floor would swallow him. Part of him was happy it was out in the open, another part wanted to take it all back and pretend the conversation never happened. Mostly he wished _someone_ would say something. The urge to be sick grew ever stronger.

"You're… you're joking, right?" Kiba said.

"Oh my god…" Ino gasped. "Is that why your…" she gestured vaguely at Naruto's belly. The blonde boy nodded.

Hinata looked vaguely hurt, though Naruto had no idea why. But she smiled at him, softly. "A-Are you happy, Naruto-kun?" He looked at her, and a ghost of a smile brushed his lips. "Yeah, yeah, I am."

Chouji was gobsmacked. "Shikamaru! You're going to be a father!"

"I had noticed," the shadow-nin replied, dryly. "But thanks for pointing it out." Chouji, overcome with emotion, tackled his oldest friend and drew him into a bone-crunching hug.

Shino, solid and silent as he always was, nodded towards the pair. "Congratulations." He said in his deep voice.

Naruto felt vaguely overwhelmed. He had expected shock, possibly even anger and outright shunning. The freak, the Jinchuuriki, the outcast of the village, now pregnant on top of everything else. It was absurd. The fact that his friends accepted him without hesitation made him feel so much more than grateful. He had never had a blood sibling, and Sasuke had been the closest he'd come to that. Now though, he knew that his child would grow up surrounded by a multitude of wonderful aunts and uncles, family in all but blood.

It was easy, after that, to tell other people. Iruka became a complete mother hen, stopping by Naruto's place at all hours to see if he needed anything, bringing him healthy food and generally checking up on his well-being. Rock Lee gushed something about the "all-powerful powerfullness of youth!" and struck a weepy pose that made Naruto feel rather embarrassed as it happened in the middle of a crowded street. Neji said little, but Naruto felt he was supportive. Tenten acted like the other girls were prone to do and inspected his baby bump before wishing him her heartfelt congratulations. Shikamaru's family were shocked, but approved that their son continued to show support towards Naruto and their baby.

Tsunade handled the Elders, and Naruto saw little of them. He met with their disapproving glares each time he did though, but he was used to that, and felt no emotional loss because of it. He'd never liked them anyway.

--

Time flowed on inexorably fast, and before Naruto knew it, another two months had passed. Shikamaru was always around these days. He would come by Naruto's home early in the morning, and leave late at night. The habit had begun early on, when Naruto would suffer from horrible morning sickness, especially soon after waking, and in the evening. Even as Naruto's second trimester wore on and the sickness abated entirely, Shikamaru continued to be there. It was a comfort for both of them. They grew ever closer in friendship, both because of their proximity and their shared love for the child growing in Naruto's belly. On the days when he was away on missions, Naruto found he missed him terribly. Of course, Iruka was always there for him, but it wasn't entirely the same thing.

Naruto began feeling the discomfort of being a pregnant man. As Tsunade had said, his body wasn't built for carrying a baby. His hips ached constantly, a complaint he had been assured would get worse if and when the baby turned to birth position. His back hurt. He couldn't move as quickly or as agilely as he wanted to, and he was only five months in. He felt it worse when Shikamaru wasn't there with him. Then, his only comfort was the child he could feel moving within him. The kicks and punches were too weak to be felt on the outside, but Naruto felt them constantly, and each time they made him smile.

--

Shikamaru had been gone for particularly long, this time around. Despite the fact that Tsunade tried to give him missions that could be completed quickly and fairly easily, sometimes they ran into complications that could extend the time by more than a week. Naruto hated it when that happened – he had a tendency to fear the worst whenever Shikamaru didn't come home on time. It made him irritable and weepy, though he knew the feelings were caused by his hormones.

He hated being shacked up at home. He had too little energy to do much in the way of training, not that he could do anything involving Chakra anyway, especially as his womb continued growing every day, using up more of his reserves. Even so, it irked him that he couldn't be out there with Shikamaru, as part of a team, doing what he was born to do.

He was achy and tired, but he couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. He lay on his bed, attempting to read a book, but finding his brain unable to process any of the words. He dozed, hovering on the border between sleep and wakefulness, but unable to exist fully in either.

He heard the door open, and cracked an eye open, expecting to see Iruka with yet another meal for him to try. It took him several seconds to recognise that the tired-looking and dirty individual before him was Shikamaru. Instantly he snapped awake, and grinned. "Hey, where ya been?"

Shikamaru smiled, and sat down on the bed. "We had some problems with some Iwa-nin on the way back. Tenten was badly injured, and we had to wait a while to move her while Ino got her fit enough to travel."

"She's alright though, isn't she?" Naruto asked, worried.

Shikamaru nodded. "She's fine. She'll be in hospital for a couple of days though." He smiled quirkily at Naruto. "Have you been alright?"

"Yeah, just tired really," Naruto answered.

Shikamaru reached out a hand and touched Naruto's belly, rubbing it slightly. The gesture was so familiar to them both by now that there was no awkwardness in it. Naruto yawned, then hissed in a breath as he felt a particularly hard kick. He quickly looked over at Shikamaru, who had a completely surprised look on his face. "Did you feel that?" He asked.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes… was that… the baby?"

Naruto nodded, a huge grin on his face. "He or she knows their daddy," he quipped. Shikamaru gently caressed the bump. "Our baby…" he said softly. He looked at Naruto, and then seemingly on the spur of the moment reached over and stroked his cheek, pulled him close, and kissed him softly on the mouth.

Naruto's eyes widened, then his expression softened, and they closed, and he kissed him back.

--

Yay, romance at last. XD I didn't want to rush their relationship before now. They've had a bond, mostly one of a more brotherly sort of friendship. It's grown deeper, but until now, they haven't realised that it was love.

Hope you still like this story. As always, constructive criticism is VERY welcome! If you have any ideas on how to improve, please let me know.


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